The number of crimes during 2022’s fest season has been average compared to recent years.
The most common crimes reported during Mill, Congo and High fests have been acts prohibited with a fictitious identification, knowingly possessing beer or liquor under the age of 21, public intoxication and drunken disorderly conduct.
With data from the Ohio Investigative Unit’s, or OIU’s, arrests from Mill fest, 32 individuals were charged with "certain acts prohibited with fictitious identification."
Arrests also don’t necessarily mean going to jail, and it is most commonly citing someone into court, OIU Commander Eric Wolf said.
Other charges that were given by OIU contained persons under 21 knowingly consuming beer or liquor, knowingly obtaining a controlled substance, open container and persons under 21 knowingly purchasing alcohol.
During Congo and High fest, there were only 26 charges, unlike Mill’s 88. Additional charges were made by APD and OUPD.
Athens Police Department, or APD’s, Chief of Police Tom Pyle said while on patrol, they commonly give out warnings before shutting house parties down or charging people.
Litter is inevitable, Pyle said, but when it comes to safety concerns like blocking sidewalks, urinating on houses and fist fights, APD intervenes.
Warnings about litter and blocking the sidewalks will be given, but if these are repeated or something more serious occurs, the parties will be shut down and partygoers could receive citations.
Pyle said APD had a couple of physical arrests during the combined fest weekends but that liquor enforcement had more.
One job OIU has is sending out “plain-clothes'' agents to blend in with the crowd, and they are often sent to places with prior complaints or potential problem spots. Ohio University’s fests are well-known, and OIU sends agents out to every fest and often many bars in Athens.
Officers in uniform and in plain-clothes will be out as usual during Palmer Place and Palmer fests this upcoming weekend.
